Monday, April 2, 2012

Da Dong Roast Duck @ Man Wah (Hong Kong) - 14th to 22nd April 2012

At Michelin Star crowned Man Wah Restaurant on the top floor of the HK Mandarin Oriental Hotel (previous write-ups here at Review 1 & Review 2), they have once again pledged themselves to a cross-over dinner with Beijing’s most famous 大董烤鸭店 Da Dong for a 2nd consecutive year. Flying in a whole team of their most competent chefs and ingredients to Hong Kong, in order to replicate the closest experience as one can find in their Beijing restaurants, I have got to admit, not only was the food very loyal to the original version, in fact I found the food tasted even better here! A more recent review of the original Beijing’s 大董 Da Dong can be found HERE.

Menu of the day -As mentioned in the original Beijing store’s review, Da Dong is famous for 3 types of cuisines. His modern Poetic Chinese cuisine, Braised Sea Cucumber, as well as their Roasted ‘Super Lean’ Duck. You will find all 3 representatives here at Man Wah..

Sliced Canadian Geo Duck Clam with Sichuan Pepper( 鲜露花椒熗加蚌 ) -This was served in an ice sphere to keep the geo duck clams in perfect crunchy conditions. The Sichuan Peppers are flushed with hot oil and then impart a flavour into the half-raw geo duck, a similar technique to Nobu Matsuhisa’s signature hot oil sashimi dish. The sichuan pepper and oil gave this a tongue numbling experience on top of the ice cold clams. A very enjoyable and unique experience. And artistically presented… 10/10

Bean Curd with Chinese Toon (香椿豆腐) -The version served tonight is an inversion of the one I ate in Beijing, with double layers of tofu sandwiching the Chinese toon. The tofu tonight was quite strongish in flavours almost like its fermented. I probably prefer the inverted version with more herb taste, but the one here was less refrigerated.. ~ 7/10

Lotus Root with Osmanthus and Foie Gras - 桂花糖藕配鵝肝 The Goose Foie Gras is shaved, reminding me of Macau’s Robuchon au Dome similar dish. The gras was surprisingly silky smooth and very tasty, it was just so addictive. It worked well with the osmanthus honey and lotus root pairing. A must order like the above geo duck dish. ~ 9/10

Lotus Root is stuffed with Sticky Rice - This is probably more of a Shanghai regional dish, but it’s done well here.. The foie gras is tasty but could have been shaved more carefully to not break up when it curls..

Foamed Squid Egg Soup - 泡沫烏魚蛋湯 This is an interesting soup with Squid Egg, which are shaved into thin slices in a powerful soup. I actually really liked this, but some found this to be too peppery which can be fixed easily. ~ 8/10

Chef Dong's Braised Sea Cucumber 董氏燒海蔘 -My first time eating Da Dong’s sea cucumber, and I’ve got to say this is as good as they claim to be, with a well caramelised onion based reduction sauce. The texture was textbook perfect and so was the sauce. One of the most impressive sea cucumbers I remember having. ~ 9/10

DaDong Super Lean Roasted Peking Duck - 大董酥不膩烤鴨 The Da Dong duck is using a smaller, super lean duck. Some people find it not fatty or moist enough, but it does have its appeal in a healthier way. What is more important is that this tasted EXACTLY like the one I ate in Beijing, despite using a slightly different oven in technicality.. *blink blink

Sugar, Garlic paste, Scallion, 2 Pickles, Roseheart Radish, Cucumber, Sauce + Crepes( 糖, 蒜泥, 京葱, 泡菜, 醬菜, 心裡美, 青瓜, 甜麵醬 + 荷葉餅 ) -DaDong has one of the best garnishing condiments to eat with the Peking Ducks..Something you are unlikely to find outside of Beijing, but they have carried this full package to Hong Kong’s Man Wah restaurant as a totally loyal replica of the former..

Super Lean Peking Duck 烤金星鴨 -

Another angle - Sliced 2 Ways, Skin only and Skin with MeatThis is how authentic Peking Duck is served nowadays, look at the beautiful carving skills and the thick and crunchy skin,only achievable when air dried properly for 1 day or more, and then using the right marinade preparations before the final roasting.. ~ 8/10

Duck Head and Duck Leg with a piece of Meat, as per Tradition -As mentioned before, the duck head with some pieces of sliced meat are always given up in Beijing. Apparently, the chef explains that this is all about receiving both the head (Beginning) and the tail (for a good Finish). A sign symbolizing good fortune and being of a complete package.

Duck with Pickled Veggies, Scallion, Radish, a very good Hoisin like sauce,eaten as a Mandarin Crepe style… The crepes were surprisingly more elastic and thinner than the ones I received in Beijing’s shop! Very good quality.

Jelly Fish with Broad Bean - 蜇頭春豆 This arrived smelling nicely of rice vinegar, but in the mouth was surprisingly balanced in acidity. The Mexican jelly fish is different from the normal Chinese East Coast versions, these are tinier but much more crunchier! Amazing quality.. Some also commented that this was too peppery, which I also concur with and there was also a fair bit of garlic. However I still liked this dish and it worked with the broad beans overall. Each to their own but I liked it a lot… ~ 9/10

Braised Abalone and Chinese Yam with Rice in Truffle Sauce - 黑松露山藥鮑魚飯 The dish of the night that wowed everyone, on top of the above Sea Cucumber. This rice was so fragrant from the abalone and truffle, it was encapsulating your senses. On top of that both the rice grains and abalone were cooked to the perfect degree. The addition of Chinese Yam pieces inside gave it that extra crunch dimension, if not more than for taste. One of the best rice dishes I have eaten in my whole life, everyone cleaned this plate. ~ 12/10

Lotus Leaf Congee - 荷葉粥 This was properly the weakest dish for me personally. It didn’t carry too much Lotus Leaf aroma or flavour, although the addition of some nuts and tangerine peels made this appealing. If the flavour of this was more intense I think this could be a highly rewarding dish.. ~ 6/10

Fresh Milk Roll with Red Bean Paste - 紅豆奶卷 A lot of diners liked this, and for a reason. The slightly sour milky coating is reminiscent of the sour yoghurt drank in Beijing. Wrapped around a not too sweetened red beans paste. Lovely. ~ 8/10

Deep Fried Beijing Dumpling - 炸卷果 This was my 2nd favourite dessert. The fried skin was said to be made with 油皮 beancurd sheets, but the fibre and taste was more like Date Skin for some reason. Filled with an assortment of chestnut, chinese yam, dates, hawthorn berries, etc. This is a more elegant version of a famous Beijing dessert. ~ 8/10

Baked Beijing Dumpling - 小窩頭 I didn’t get to try one of these, but others said this was a little bland..

Zha Juanguo Green Bean Cake - 綠豆糕 This was a bit dense, but may be that’s the way it’s meant to be..?

The Traditional Beijing Snacks Dessert Platters - 北京小吃 The overall meal ended with some decent desserts. Some of the dishes were cooked very well, and apparently the Beijing Team is going to introduce even more signature dishes from their Beijing Kitchens compared to last year’s event in the end. I will be going back soon to try out some of them myself. If you want to enquire about the Da Dong menu or make a reservation for this cross over event and get a true taste of Peking Duck, you can contact Man Wah on (852) 2825 4003 or via email:mohkg-manwah@mohg.com

Price: $500+Ease of Access: 4/5 (Via Taxi or right next to MTR Central Station exit)Rating: (Preview meal was by Invitation. It is pretty close to the real deal, if not more.)